Reviews by Bighuge:

Slightly hazed mahogany appearance. Thing beige head. Lacing is substantial. Fragrant aroma, but not nearly as much hop presence on the nose as I'd expect from a big DIPA. Flavor is very solid. All Fuggles is interesting, but it works better than I thought it would. Very well balanced DIPA. Solid malt base and solid hop flavor. Pretty rich malt feel to it for a DIPA. Bitterness is really subdued for the style. This has shades of barleywine written all over it with plum and dark cherries complimenting. Alcohol is really incorporated nicely. Not harsh at all. Quite drinkable for the style.

Appearance- Dark, brown, muddy. light head but dissipates into a crown rather quickly. Light lacing on the glass.

Smell- spicy, earthy, malty, bready. I can already smell the 10.5% ABV in the pint.

Taste- slightly sweeter and maltier than the usual DIPA, but a real nice taste that balances the hops, the malts and the alcohol bite.

Overall- split this bottle with my father for his 56th birthday and we both enjoyed it. We wished that we had another. For someone like me who enjoys a maltier beer, this is a very nice and easy Imperial IPA.

Leech Lake Three Sheets Imperial IPA pours a super dense head over a deep amber brew. Massive carbonation brings a rich, almost vinous nose of apples and rising dough. The flavor is likewise rich- sweet bready malt with notes of oak and spicy/woody/herbal Fuggle hops off the back. Mouthfeel is round and smooth, dried out a tiny bit with an herbal hop aftertaste. The label claims 100 IBUs of hop bitterness. Since I know for a fact this stuff has been in the bottle only a few weeks, and the perceived bitterness (to my taste) makes it feel like a mere Pale Ale, I know this is one monster of a malt bomb. But it would have to be, to get this all the way up to a delicious 10.5% alcohol by volume. This is a pretty sneaky one too- the alcohol only makes itself really known as a feeling of well-being- drink this one at home or share a bottle with a pal. As always with Leech Lake, I am just thrilled that for once, those of us in greater Minnesota get first taste of the stuff from a new brewery!

This beer is much darker than most DIPAs. Very little head or lacing. It doesn't have a very hoppy smell. The taste is mostly malt. A bit of bitter hop, bit again, mostly malt. It is a rather dry DIPA, I enjoy an oily resin in my strong DIPAs, this does not gave that. This beer isn't bad, but it can't hold its own against the many better DIPAs I've had.

Ap – Minimal head that leaves a light tan veneer with a thicker ring. Really clear with red/copper color. (4)

Fl – Nicely done prominent without excess heaviness on the bitterness. As a side note, how much fuggles is needed to get this bitter? Heavier malt character. Others have noted this more closely resembles an Am. Barleywine than IIPA, and I think I’d agree. The heavier malt character more closely resembles that style. Alcohol is noticeable and a little hot, but not to excess. Slight malty sweetness up front with a slightly grainy quality. Get the earthy flavor from the fuggles. It doesn’t completely suck – and that’s a good thing. (4)

Mf – Nicely done carbonation. Soft bubbles with a moderate body. (4)

T - Ya’ know, this isn’t too bad of a beer. An interesting take “on style”. I guess it is now forever linked with the north woods for me – maybe I should make it a tradition – if I don’t’ mind driving about 40 miles (one way) for a couple of beers. (4)

Poured from a bottle shaped can. Pours much too dark for an ipa with a murkiness that isn't exactly inviting. The aroma features oxidized hops, heavy stale grass and herbal tones, and notes of caramel malt. Taste is hot, malty with loads of caramel, and astringent hop profile. This beer lacks in balance and drinks like a hot barleywine with a sloppy hop profile. Reminds me of some of my early homebrews-gone-wrong. Finish has a twang and heavy sweetness. Lots of off flavors presentm its hard to put my finger on descriptors for them. Mouthfeel is heavy bodied and syrupy. Overall, this beer is a mess and I likely won't make it through the whole thing.

Searched for this bad-boy & anything else by Leech Lake during a recent trip "up north" & struck out. But! A kindly, non-BA friend saw it & figured it was something I never had, bought it, & hand-delivered it last week. It's good to have friends.

First, I have to deduct points from the protagonist for difficulty in getting at the liquid. The cage was made out of light way unobtainium: I had to get a towel & put serious thumb muscle into it to get it open. Couldn't move the cork. Enter pliers. Snap off cork. Wine opener, stage left. Ah, finally. 750ML bottle poured into two pint glasses.

Barely a perfiffle of a whispered pop on opening. Pour & surprise! Red. Dark, deep red that isn't opaque, but closer to a wee heavy than a IIPA. Busting a nut on the style. I like it. Smell is all sweet, heady malt & flagrant alcohol, & almost candied cherry. Well. Good to meet you too.

3 Sheets, I know a IIPA, & you are no IIPA. Wild ruby malt greets the senses, & now I have to glance through the other reviews. Yup. Much more like a wee heavy/barleywine than a IIPA. The malts carry a deep sweetness, bordering on molasses, tinged with dark fruits. Hops? 100 IBU? I'm positive the brewery IBU meter is broken. There's a whiff of hops here, lending a grassiness & scant bitterness, but it disappears in an avalanche of malts. The finish is almsot nutty, & the alcohol begins to yodel. This is a thick, heavy, malty beast of a beer.

Well? What? IIPA? Hardly. Luckily, it's a good beer anyhow, but the truth in advertising folks would have a field day with this brew. I'm enjoying it, but it's nothing like one might expect.

T-Again the rich Old Ale like maltiness is evident...great flavor to this...dark fruits...caramel...even a little nutty...as for the 100IBU hop load? Not real evident. Adds a little earthy feel to it but not much more.

M-The body is lacking. I don't want a super jazzed up carbonation on this style of beer but this is too flat. It contributes to the less than full body impression. The body is probably about right if it had a bit more carbonation but as is it feels a tad thin for the style.

D-A double IPA this is not. They should rebrand it as an Old Ale and a damn fine one at that. Pricey but if they improve the carbonation this would be well worth splurging on for a "special" occasion. Scores will go up for mouthfeel and drinkability if the carbonation improves.

after wrestling the cork out of the bottle, this one pours out a dark and murky scarlet colour with a thin beige head. it leaves some wispy lace as i sip. the aroma is predominantly of doughy malts and leaf tobacco...yeasty and slightly boozy with accents of apples and pears. smells like no other DIPA i've ever had before. the taste is unlike any other DIPA i've ever had either...booze soaked sour apples and some pear flavoured moonshine come to mind. there are hints of other ripe red fruitiness, reminding me of canned cherries in dark rum. a bit of flowery hoppiness and subsequent bitterness can be detected, also...but 100 IBU's? i don't think so. this does have a soft and supple body with an overly light carbonated, somewhat slick mouthfeel. drinkability? i'm confused...and it's not from the high ABV.

overall...i suppose if this was labeled as some sort of belgian inspired concoction, i would be less befuddled. but the mouthfeel is not in any way belgian. hmmmm....i would really like to know what the brewers had in mind here. i think they are the ones who are confused.

i don't even know how to score this. i might have to revisit after some investigation.

Sticker on the back of the bottle appears to be some sort of freshness dating. It reads...022912122011

Could be a brewed date and a bottled date? This is the first time I've ever seen a bottle from this brewery in the Twin Cities so I'm assuming it's fresh.

A= Pours a deep amber color with a smaller thin half finger of head on it that holds some average retention and spotty lacing. A semi hazy opacity. A little deep in color for your average IIPA.

S= The smell isn't quite what I would hope for an IIPA. Smells very high in the malt and alcohol with the hops sort of playing a role in the background. Big alcohol aroma. As it settles the alcohol comes through more and the faint hop aroma seems to die faster.

T= The taste makes my fears come true. Actually a very very light flavor on this beer. The hops come through more in the flavor than the nose would let you believe but they are still not IIPA status. The sweet malty flavor dies quite a bit and leaves a more alcohol flavor and the yeast comes through quite a bit for some reason. Maybe they fermented this with a Belgian strain or perhaps it fermented too hot? Not the cleanest IIPA as far as yeast flavor goes. Borders a Belgian IIPA in flavor for me only with less hops.

M= Very dry finish with a lot of light alcohol

O= Not a fan of this beer. First shot with the brewery and I'm unimpressed. As an IIPA I would expect a certain amount of brightness and livelyness which this beer doesn't seem to deliver. I would really like the local breweries to do well but this isn't a beer that will get my thumbs up. I for sure won't be buying this again unless I hear of some change but I will try their other beers before I completely write them off. This wasn't worth the time or money however. Flavors didn't say IIPA to me they more said craft malt liquor.

Last bottle of the Leech Lake beers, and I saved the 100 IBU Imperial IPA for the finale. Corked and caged, this is clearly their top of the line beer--though it resisted and the cork was devilishly hard to get out.

An ultra light brown head is rocky and creamy and unevenly rests on top of a dark mahogany ale that's shimmering copper at the edges. The first sniff after the pour was a strong and clear earthy fuggles hop spice, but it dissipates to a light and pleasant aroma on top a caramel malt. Hop bite is assertive on the tongue; again, earthy with a bit of pepper. Solid malt base that warms from the 10.5% alcohol. Bitterness plus a malt sweetness off the back of the tongue finishes well.

I think I expected a bit of this taste from the IPA, but I think the fuggles hops don't build because the low alpha acid content (3.5-5.5% according to John Palmer's hop variety chart). While 100 IBU, its perceived bitterness is more like an above average IPA. This strong beer is fun to drink, and I look forward to tasting it on tap when I get a chance to visit Leech Lake Brewing Co to follow up on this set of bottles.

Corked and caged 750. A deep amberish brown color with very minimal carbonation, resulting in very little head and lacing.

Smells strongly of caramel apples. Lots of sweet malt, but only the apple fruit from the hops.

Very malty with quite a bit of sweetness. Some brown sugar, maple syrup, caramel and light milk chocolate come out. The hops are pretty lackluster. I get some lighter hop bitterness, but not a whole lot. The Fuggles really don't add much in the way of flavor either.

As suspected, the mouthfeel suffer from a severe lack of carbonation. Kind of dry, but almost watery because of the missing carbonation.

Maybe this was an old bottle. I did pick it up in a pretty well shopped store and it was refrigerated. The lack of carbonation really hurts this beer though. I think the other problem is the lack of character the Fuggles add. This truly drinks and tastes like an aged Barleywine, not a DIPA. I did somewhat enjoy it and I do have another bottle, so hopefully this one was just a fluke.